Introduction

The global endeavor to combat climate change reached a significant milestone with the conclusion of the 28th Confer­ence of Parties (COP28) held in Dubai, UAE, from November 30th to December 13th, 2023, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

COP28 was marked by a significant dispute revolving around the host country, the United Arab Emirates, which is a promi­nent producer of oil and gas. The UAE took a firm stance against the gradual elimination of fossil fuels (including oil gas, and coal) and did not consider it crucial to prevent the global temperature from exceeding a 1.5°C increase. However, despite this controversy, the conference managed to achieve groundbreaking agreements that held great importance for CARE. Here, I present three noteworthy highlights from the event.

The COP28 agreement introduced the appointment of a youth climate champion (aged 18-35) to represent the COP presiden­cy, fostering meaningful youth engagement in climate action. This two-year role not only spotlights youth climate work globally but may also unlock funding for youth initiatives. For a country like Uganda, chances to occupy this role are quite remote (but not impossible) as it’s tagged to hosting of COP (for now, Uganda’s chances would increase if we hosted COP). The climate youth fraternity can however advocate for nominations outside the COP host country, which would increase chances for non-COP host countries to present a candidate.